Friday, May 14, 2010

Review of City of Glass

Note: A lot of spoilers are in this review, so if you haven't read the first or second book in the series, you should check out my review of the first book, City of Bones.

Goodreads says, "To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost? Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments."

As we know from City of Ashes, Clary's mom is in a coma/spell and the only one who can save her is Clary. Clary needs to travel to the City of Glass to save her mom and meet with the only person who can undo this spell. Things aren't as easy as that though. Jace is dead against Clary going to the City and it seems everyone is giving her a hard time. On top of it, Simon ends up there as well and the Inquisitor decides to put him in jail, because she is choosing to use him as the scapegoat for all the chaos that has been happening with Valentine. She is blackmailing Simon and trying to get him to say that he has ties to Valentine. Speaking of Valentine, he is still up to no good and devising his Hitleresque, evil plan to take over the Clave and destroy Downworlders and disloyal Shadowhunters. The tension between Jace and Clary is still mounting and the family secrets only make it that much more suspenseful. This book revealed many, many secrets and answered all the questions I had concerning the family dynamics. Clare brilliantly placed small clues in the previous books that come to fruition in this book. I was blown away by some of the expertly placed clues that I never picked up and/or simply overlooked! With that said, City of Glass by Cassandra Clare is compelling novel and first-rate addition to the Mortal Instruments series. This series is one of the best series I have read. Ever.

Clare is an amazing writer. I say this in every review and I'm sure I am repeating myself. My feeble attempt at applauding her is never going to do her justice. In my eyes, she is from the same vein as J.K. Rowling, except edgier and has cooler hair. It's safe to say that I adore this series just as much as Harry Potter. It's truly gripping. I read the 541 pages in a few days, which for me is not the norm, so this says a lot about Clare's writing style. I don't think I have read that much since the summer of 2007 when I was surgically attached to the final Harry Potter book. To me, a great book makes you ponder the characters and situations long after you read the final page. That's what this book did for me. Yes, some parts were a tad predictable, but I didn't even care. And the ending? Amazing. Even if the series ended here, I really like the ending. It provided me such closure.

My fellow bloggers informed me that Clare is writing a fourth book. Thank GOD, because it's not often you feel sad after you finish a book; I am not ready to part with Clary, Jace, and Simon. The fourth book entitled City of Fallen Angels is out March 31, 2010. And I'm sure you've heard about The Clockwork Angel, which is the first in the Infernal Devices trilogy. This book is a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series and is set in 19th century London. I love that time period so I'm even more pumped for this book, which comes out August 31, 2010.

Lastly, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Cassandra Clare's book signing when she was at my neighborhood Barnes and Noble. She signed my copy of City of Ashes and even gave me a signed poster of The Clockwork Angel made out to my English class! I also snagged a Clockwork Angel excerpt for chapters 1-4. I will post pictures of this on Sunday for my "In My Mailbox" post. Oh, and Holly Black was there as well, which was pretty cool! But I digress. This series is amazing. I have been talking non-stop about it and have even convinced my friends and husband to read it. Simply said: Books like this are the reason I love discussing books and teaching reading.

8 comments:

Awwww. I love, love, love your reviews. And this one is not an exception. I'm so excited to start City of Glass and Clockwork Angel as well. They both sound awesomely amazing. I can't wait! You're such a lucky for having the chance to meet Cassandra Clare. I'd love to go to a signing anyday! God bless you!

I still haven't read City of Ashes, but I have read City of Bones. What a great series--Good to hear that there will be a fourth. And, I love the cover for the Clockwork Angel. She's a great writer, that Cassandra Clare.

Fantastic review! I loved this series too and I am anxiously awaiting both Clockwork Angel and The City of Fallen Angels. That is awesome that you got to meet Cassandra Clare and score some swag, especially the first four chapters to Clockwork Angel.

Totally agree! I remember feeling like I'd lost a limb when I'd finished this book. I went to Cassandra's UK release party for City of Glass. It was amazing to meet her. I'd say it was my most fangirly moment so far.

Okay, so I haven't read the review. I know! I still have to read the first one, well actually I have to buy them first. :) I keep hearing such great things about the series, that I really need to hurry up.